Car-brake-actuating mechanism.



E. w. WEBB & C. S. WALTON.

CAR BRAKE ACTUATING MECHANISM;

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 13, I915.

l, 1 83,053. Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Fay/i Zfihesses. Ma

I'd imam waw APH co., WASHINGTON, 0. c4

E. w. WEBB & c s. WALTON.

CAR BRAKE ACTU ATING MECHANISM.

APPLlCATlON FILED NOV. I3, 1915.

1, 183,053. Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ZOLZZZMWVW COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN (10.. WASHINGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

EDWIN W. WECBB AND CHARLES S. WALTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOES T0 STANDARD CAR TRUCK COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

oAn-BnAKn-Ao'rurirnve MECHANISM.

Patented May 16,1916.

Application filed November 13, 1915. Serial No. 61,236.

To all whom it may concern --Be it known that we, EDWIN W'. WEBB and CHARLEs S. WALTON, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Brake-Actuating Mechanism; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention has for its object to provide an extremely simple and highly efiicient car brake actuating mechanism of the ratchet type whereby great leverage is rendered available without requiring long projecting levers which normally stand in operative po- 'sitions. Brake mechanism of this kind may be generally applied to railway cars, either passenger, or the various types of freight cars, and it will operate even when applied against the end of a car where complete rotation of an actuating lever of the required power will be impossible.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an end elevation showing'the improved brake actuating mechanism applied to the end of a box car; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 00 m ofFig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view chiefly in vertical section but with some parts shown in full and some parts broken away, showing the ratchet and lever mechanism of the device; .Fig. 4 shows the parts illustrated in Fig. 3 partly in plan and partly in horizontal section; and Fig. 5 is a detail in plan of the brake lever.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the numeral 1 indicates thebody and the numeral 2 one of the end sills of a box car. The brake staff 3 is preferably made of square iron or steel, and at its lower end, is passed through the sill 2 and journaled in the yoke-like bracket 4 which is bolted, or otherwise rigidly secured to the sill 2. Within the bracket 4, the brake stafi has a rigidly secured winding spool 5 which is preferably of a type which will take up the slack of the brakechainG quickly at first and slower'as the chain is wound upon the said: spool, in the. brake-setting action. Above the sill 2, the brake staff has a rigidly secured ratchet wheel 7, which, for a square brake stafl is provided with a square hole through which the said staff is passed. This ratchet Wheel rests upon a bearing plate 8 secured on the sill, and to which is pivoted a lock dog 9 that cooperates with the said ratchet wheel to hold the brakes set. Of course, those portions of the staff 3 that have a bearing in the bracket 4 are either turned around or provided with round bushings so that the stafl will be free to rotate.

At its upper end, the brake staff proper 3, is shown as telescoped into the square seat of a brake stafl extension '10. This brake.

staff extension is preferablyin the form of a tubular casting provided with a cylindrical journal surface 11 and an outstanding annular shoulder 12, the former of which is journaled 1n, and the latterof which rests upon the sleeve-like portion of a bearing bracket mechanism.

Above the shoulder 12 the staff extension 10 has a slightly reduced cylindrical portion on which is loosely journaled a combined ratchet and gear wheel 14, provided on its upper face with an annular series of upstanding ratchet teeth 14 and provided on its periphery with outstanding spur gear teeth 14. Above the wheel 14 the said brake staff extension 10 has a further reduced cylindrical portion that is telescoped into the sleeve-like hub of a'cap casting 15. Thecap 15 is free to move vertically on the stafl extension 10 but is caused to rotatetherewith, by means of a key pin '16 passed through diametrically opposite perforations in the sleeve-like portion of the said cap and through vertical slots 17 on the upper end portion of said extension 10. The outwardlyrextended portion of the cap 15 terminates in a down-turned flange 18 that overlaps the upper portion ofthe gear casting 14 and serves as a housing to prevent dirt from falling onto the same. Just inward of this flange 18,- the horizontal web portion of the cap 15 is provided with an annular series of depending'ratchet teeth-15 that are adapted to co'ciperate with the ratchet teeth 14 of the gear casting 14.

The bearing bracket 13 has an outwardly projected fulcrumlug that terminates in a fulcrum ball or spherical fulcrum 19. The numeral 20 indicates a brake lever having at its extreme inner end, a gear sector 21 that is adapted to mesh with the gear teeth 14 of the gear casting 14, when the said lever is turned into a horizontal position. Closely adjacent to the gear segment or teeth 21, the lever 20 is provided with a socket 522 that fits the fulcrum hall 19 in such manner that the lever 20 is adapted to be oscillated, either vertically, or horizontally, or in other words, is capable of universal movements within certain limits. As shown, a retaining pin 23 is passed through the socket portion of the lever 20 and engages the fulcrum ball 19 in a manner to prevent the lever from coming off from the said ball. This is because the socket, including the pin 23, has engagement with the ball 19 for slightly more than 180 degrees.

The operation of the device is as follows: Normally, the lever 20 hangs as shown by full lines in Figs. 1 and 3, and hence, is out of the way. At such times, the brakes may or may not be set, as desired. To wind up the chain on the spool 5, the lever 20 is turned into a horizontal position so as to thereby thrown its gear sector 21 into mesh with the gear teeth 14 of the gear casting 14, and then the said lever, while in horizontal position, is oscillated back and forth in a horizontal plane. Such oscillating movement of the lever will cause oscillating movements of the gear casting 14 and under forward or chain winding movements, the ratchet teeth 14 of the said wheel 14 engaging the ratchet teeth 15* of the cap 15, will impart positive chain tightening movements to the brake staff 3 and its extension 10. Backward rotation of the brake staff will be prevented by the ratchet wheel 7 and cooperating lock dog 9. When the lever 20 and wheel 14 are given backward oscillations, the ratchet teeth 14* will slip under the ratchet teeth 15 causing the cap 15 to rise and lower while it is held against backward rotation by the brake staff, and will, of course, permit the backward rotation of the said wheel 14. The set brakes are released by disengaging the dog 9 from the ratchet wheel 7, while the lever 20 is in its inoperative position, or otherwise stated, disengaged from the wheel 14, at which time, of course, both the cap 15 and wheel 14 will freely rotate backward with the brake staff and its extension.

What we claim is:

1. The combination with a brake staff and a lever fulcrumed adjacent thereto, of a wheel journaled on said staff and having gear teeth and ratchet teeth, a lever mounted on said fulcrum for vertical and horizontal oscillatory movements and having gear teeth engageable with and disengageable from the gear teeth of said wheel by vertical movements of the lever, and a ratchet member rotatable with said staff but movable vertically thereon and having engagement with the ratchet teeth of said wheel.

2. The combination with a brake stafi and a lever fulcrumed adjacent thereto, of a wheel journaled on said staff and having peripheral gear teeth and upturned ratchet teeth, a lever mounted on said fulcrum for vertical and horizontal oscillatory movements and having a gear sector engageable with the gear teeth of said wheel and disengageable therefrom by vertical movements of said lever, the said lever, when engaged, serving to oscillate said wheel, and a cap mounted to rotate with but to move vertically on said staff and having ratchet teeth engageable with the ratchet teeth of said wheel.

8. The combination with a brake stafi and a lever fulcrumed adjacent thereto, of a wheel journaled on said stafi and having gear teeth and ratchet teeth, a lever mounted on said fulcrum for vertical and horizontal oscillatory movements and having gear teeth engageable with and disengageable from the gear teeth of said wheel by vertical movements of the lever, and a ratchet member rotatable with said staff but movable vertically thereon and having engagement with the ratchet teeth of said wheel, and a pawl and ratchet device independent of the mechanism noted for holding said stafi with the brake set.

4. The combination with a brake staff and a lever fulcrumed adjacent thereto, of a. wheel journaled on said staff and having peripheral gear teeth and upturned ratchet teeth, a lever mounted on said fulcrum for vertical and horizontal oscillatory movements and having a gear sector engageable with the gear teethof said wheel and disen- -gageable therefrom by vertical movements of said lever, the said lever, when engaged, serving to oscillate said wheel, a cap mounted to rotate with but to move vertically on said staif and having ratchet teeth engageable with the ratchet teeth of said wheel, and the said cap having a depending annular flange surrounding the upper portion of said wheel.

5. The combination with a brake staflt' and a ball-like fulcrum adjacent thereto, of a wheel journaled on said staff and having peripheral gear teeth and upstanding ratchet teeth, alever mounted on said fulcrum for vertical and horizontal oscillatory movements and having a gear sector arranged to be engaged with the gear teeth of said wheel by vertical movements of said lever, horizontal oscillatory movements of the said lever serving to oscillate said wheel, a cap mounted to rotate with said staff, but free to move vertically thereon, and provided with ratchet teeth cooperating with the ratchet teeth of said wheel.

6. The combination with a brake staff and a ball-like fulcrum adjacent thereto, of a wheel journaled on said stafi and having peripheral gear teeth and upstanding ratchet teeth, a lever mounted on said fulcrum for vertical and horizontal oscillatory movements and having a gear sector arranged to be engaged with the gear teeth of said wheel by vertical movements of said lever, horizontal oscillatory movements of the said lever serving to oscillate said wheel, a cap mounted to rotate with said staff, but free to move vertically thereon, and provided with ratchet teeth cooperating with the ratchet teeth of said wheel, said cap having a depending annular flange surrounding the upper portion of said wheel.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN W. WEBB. CHARLES S. WALTON. Witnesses:

T. L. BARBER, I HARRIETT E. ORR.

0091c: of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent,

' Washington, D. 0. 

